Place yourself in the context. What's going on in Mexico?

Mobilizations have arisen not only on the part of teachers, but also on the part of parents and all the people, for a reform that seeks to privatize education and violate the rights of teachers. The demonstrations have been severely suppressed by the State, where 12 people have been arrested and have died.

Teachers have always been an important social force in this country. They have starred in numerous movements, including the Mexican Revolution, along with doctors and lawyers. Education reform is aligned with other structural changes. There is also a glimpse into health and employment, into the energy sector (such as the privatisation of Pemex)… and that is why teachers are not the only ones fighting. The mobilizations are contrary to this latest neoliberal reform.

We've had a background. In 2013, the teachers organized a giant camp in a plaza in central Mexico City, which was brutally evacuated by the government. Then, the 43 “normalists” of Ayotzinapa disappeared. "Normal" schools are teaching schools and are trained in rural areas for teachers who will then move to the poorest places in Mexico to do so. Before all of this, we had the opportunity to create an important movement of students and young people in the capital: Movement I am 132 against the authoritarian party PRI, which has ruled Mexico for a whole century.

Is there a difference between urban and rural mobilizations?

In Mexico the division between the countryside and the city is clear. In the southern states, the primary sector predominates, and in the north, industry predominates. Chiapas, Guerrero, Michoacán and Oaxaca are the poorest states and in them the indigenous identity, the presence of the original culture, is much greater. In the South, the community has more weight, they tend to interact.

In the face of the latest deaths, what does the Government say?

The Mexican Government has washed its hands on the grounds that there were incidents between police and citizens, and that the demonstrators also had weapons on the street. The Government says that the police only responded to the attacks and attacks of the terrorists. And he added that the deceased are not teachers, that all this has nothing to do with education reform. It is, of course, totally false, and it is not the first time that the state's police forces have attacked the people with all their violence. Violations of human rights have been reported on numerous occasions at the national and international levels.

And what is the situation of the detainees so far?

Dozens of prisoners have been arrested and released quickly, but it should be noted that the leaders of the trade union movement have been arrested. Everyone who tries to fight is reprimanded, imprisoned or killed; it is terrible.

What roles are the students playing?

The youth movement, which is mainly concentrated in universities, is a very active movement. As I mentioned, the Yo Soy 132 movement was led by students and young people, and when it passed that of the 43 students from Ayotzinapa, thousands of young people went out to the streets so that the 43 would appear alive and shouted slogans against the government. Recently, at the public university UNAM, the largest campus of the state, a giant assembly was organized to decide how to support the faculty movement.

And what attitude do parents have?

Parents have also been fully involved in the struggle of teachers, because they understand that, in addition to the working conditions of teachers, it is a struggle for public education. In Michoacán itself, students between 12 and 15 years old have taken to the streets with their parents and teachers.

As for the media, what is the main message?

There is a great satanization of teachers in the media. Radio, television... Everywhere there is a constant lack of prestige. They say that teachers are vandals and evil, that they are a group of sloths that only generate problems.

How do you see the future of this fight against privatisation?

In order to carry out all this, it will be essential to draw up a strategy or structure that integrates all areas at national level if all the demands of the people are to be properly met. What is happening is that the government now wants to divert the debate through a dialogue table to deceive the teachers, lengthen the conflict and erode the movement. Teachers have been on strike for more than 20 days and have organised very strong demonstrations. The government, through this debate table, wants nothing more than to stifle this uprising. And we believe that the road is to strengthen the struggle, in coordination with other areas and sectors.

Would you say Mexico is at war?

The militarization of the State, especially the one that occurred during the Felipe Calderón Government [2006-2012], was organized against the seemingly narcotic, but a people fighting in reality is dying. Militants, women, journalists -- they're the ones who are most attacking this war against the supposed narco. The Government seeks the naturalization and normalization of violence and, therefore, this is not seen as much as a war, but it cannot be denied that it is being very violent. Dozens of journalists have already been murdered for denouncing government corruption in recent hours.

The self-defense teams in Michoacán have become popular in recent years. In view of the systematic violence of the Narco and the Government, at what point is armed self-defense in Mexico?

In some places, the people have weapons and have organized themselves into self-defence groups, but the State attacks them forcefully. For example, he has arrested two CEOs of the self-defence groups, Miguel, who is still in prison, and Nestora Salgado, recently released, for his campaign for freedom. At the same time, the narco situation is also very violent and we are not sure that there are other armed groups in addition to self-defence groups, but they may well be.

Would you like to add something?

We have great international solidarity and are very concerned about what is happening in the country. We have received videos, photos… from many places and we have heard of the mobilizations we have carried out in Argentina or Madrid. We also see that we are not the only people who are moving, that there are also great uprisings in France and that we want to join in all those mobilizations, because we understand that the attacks we are experiencing are not only those that are being produced to us as Mexicans, but those that are being given at international level. After all, for example, this educational reform is not being implemented just here, but is being done in Chile, Argentina and other countries.